Author

Robert Turner photo

Robert Turner

Robert Turner is the Chief of Mission of IOM Ukraine, a position he has held since September 2025. He has served in the United Nations system since 1995, with senior roles across humanitarian and peacekeeping operations, including in Rwanda, Sudan, the Gaza Strip, and multiple global duty stations. He previously served as Chief of Staff and Chief Operating Officer at the World Food Programme and most recently supported IOM operations in the Gaza Strip and Syria (2024–2025).

Articles

Evacuees arrive by bus at an evacuation point in Kharkiv Oblast, Ukraine, on May 12, 2024.

While global attention is divided, the largest displacement crisis in Europe is deepening

by Robert Turner
I came to Ukraine in September of last year, well into the fourth year of the war that had already reshaped the country's geography, economy, and daily life. Having worked for decades in conflict settings, from Afghanistan to Sudan, I am still amazed by the way people in the direst situations can cope and hope for a better future. What one cannot underestimate is how challenging this winter has been in Ukraine. Those living even a thousand kilometers from the front line feel the severe effects